The Trouble With Love
by Invader Zanna
Summary: Dib thinks he's in love, but how will Zim handle it? Work in progress, come back when there's more chapters. Don't like ZADR don't bother reading.
1. Chapter 1

Dib was relaxing on Zim's couch. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon; Dib had brought some Mysterious Mysteries recordings and was currently watching them. Gir sat on the floor with a bag of tacos Dib had ordered for him. The cheese was everywhere.

Dib yawned. What was holding Zim up in the lab? There was static on the tv and suddenly they were watching the Angry Monkey Show. "Gir!"

"But I like this show!"

"But I was watching Mysterious Mysteries first. Now give me the remote!"

"No!" Gir lept up and ran into the kitchen with the remote.

"Hey! Come back!" Dib chased after him.

Right as Dib was about to leap over the table, Zim appeared from the toilet.

"Dib? What are you doing?" Zim squinted at him.

"Zim! Gir got the remote-I chased him-Mysterious Mysteries-"

Zim walked over to him and pulled on the collar of his shirt, tilting his head down slightly.

"You talk too much." Zim smirked. "NOW COME!" he yelled and walked away to the living room. "We have much to do!"

Dib followed him. "Aw come on Zim, can't we just hang out for a while? You always have work to do..."

"Wha? There is no time to hang things! First we must prepare our presentation for the Tallest! A puppet show would be best, although..."

"Woah, what? The Tallest? And why a puppet show...?

Zim rolled his eyes, "As an Invader, it is your job to destroy your assigned planet, though sometimes the Invader will become close enough to a certain civilian enough not to want to destroy them. But, for the Tallest NOT to destroy them, you must make a presentation explaining why they should not." Zim looked at him like this should be obvious, and then turned back to his work.

Dib stared at him. "Wait what happens if they don't approve?"

"Silly Dib-human of course they will approve."

"But what happens if they don't?"

But Zim wouldn't answer him. Instead he started making what looked like dolls. Just then Dib's watch beeped.

"Crap, I need to get home, seeya Zim!" he said as he rushed out the door. Gir waved him goodbye. "And I'm watching you Gir..." he muttered to himself as he started running down the street.

* * *

><p>Gaz glared at Dib as he walked into the house. "Off playing with your boyfriend Dib? You're just lucky dad didn't come home. If you're not careful you'll be in big trouble." this was the closest thing to looking out for Dib that Gaz ever did. Dib just shrugged and grabbed a bowl of Splodey Beans.<p>

He sat down next to Gaz and absent mindedly started eating. Gaz glanced at him a couple times but resumed her game.

Dib couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He had thought that when he and Zim realized that they wanted to be something other that enemies, things would be different. Dib quite frankly wanted to get closer to Zim, maybe spend the night, at least kiss him once or twice.

But Zim had kept his distance and went about life like barely anything had happened. Dib had so far only been allowed to sit on the couch and watch Zim bustle around muttering to himself. It was only a few times that they had anything close.

Dib shivered when he remembered Zim brushing his face and giving him that look that said, "You're mine, and only mine."

"Dib. DIB!" Gaz socked Dib in the side causing him to fall off the couch.

"WAH!" Dib yelped and wrapped his arms around his stomach. "Jeeze Gaz! Why do you have to do that?"

"Because Dib, now snap out of it. You've got a phone call." Gaz held the phone up to Dib's face. Dib sighed and took it.

Hello? Membrane residence."

"Um, yeah hi. This is, Gretchen."

"Oh hi Gretchen."

"Yeah so, I was wondering, if, maybe, you would come to, my house sometime?"

"Oh um, Gretchen I,"

"Or I could, you know go there, you know to your house, if, if you want."

"Listen Gretchen, I'm kinda busy at the moment. But another time would be great!"

"R-Really? Oh gosh, thank you Dib-I mean-see you later." She hung up with a click.

Dib groaned. How was he supposed to see Gretchen when Zim needed him for that 'presentation' of his?

_Heh heh sorry it's not much, don't worry it'll heat up this is mainly just starting to form the idea and a sort of introduction._

_Oh, and I'm using those line thingies, because i want to make sure the stupid editing thing doesn't delete all my 'enters' _


	2. Chapter 2

_AN~_  
><em>Short chapter is short. Also a reminder that this one is in fact rated M, even though it doesn't seem like it at the moment. Trust me, it will get there. Hope you enjoy it, and as always feedback is much appreciated. <em>

Dib knocked on Zim's door. "Zim! Are you coming or not?" he shouted. Dib only received rustling noises from inside the house. Dib sighed and shifted his weight from foot to foot. Even after Zim turned Dib's bio-scan off on his lawn gnomes, Dib still hated standing around in the yard with them. They smiled at him. He scowled back. Finally Zim stumbled out of his house, the smell of bacon and waffles heavy in the air even after Zim slammed the door.

"Good for nothing robot-computer-smelly-" Zim grumbled to himself as he tried stuffing his books into his bag. Dib helped him and noticed an antenna was sticking out of his wig.

"Erm, Zim-"

"And those horrible robo-parents! I'll need to get them fixed..."

"Zim!" Zim stopped, glared at Dib, then continued grumbling. Dib sighed in defeat and tucked it back under the wig himself. Zim started walking down the street and Dib followed, trying to stop papers from flying away.

Dib tried to ignore the stares they got as they walked down the sidewalk. "Zim could you PLEASE just listen for one second?"

Zim had finished getting his stuff into a filthy annoying human pak, and glanced up at Dib. His face showed confusion. "Huh?" he tried focusing on the Dib, instead of his awful, HORIBLE morning.

"Zim I'm getting really sick of you completely ignoring me! It's like I'm not even here!" now his face was more like anger.

"Hmm? Zim is very busy right now Dib, I have so much to do, sooo much!" his hand trembled with the last part, and he kept on walking. Dib stared after him.

"Well fine! You can just walk to skool yourself!"

Zim looked over his shoulder surprised. But Dib was already walking away. Zim figured it was just another one of those hyuman mood swingy things. He got back to his thoughts.

At skool Zim noticed Dib still seemed upset. He wouldn't look at Zim when he tried passing him notes, or even whisper for him to stop waving his hands around his face. At lunch Dib tried to sit with Gaz again instead of where he usually sat with Zim; even though Gaz had her own group of goth friends.

Although the Dib was acting strange, Zim couldn't help but get caught up with his work. The presentation for the Tallest had turned out to be much more complex than Zim had first thought. There were many more factors and Zim's-mighty brain-was still trying to figure out how to meet them.

Not only that but Gir had accidentally shut down one of the sectors of the main computer without which Zim had lost part way communication with the Massive, something of vital importance at the moment. (not that the Tallest minded that much, in fact they hoped it would stay down for quite a while)

And of course Zim needed to work on his latest mind blowing scheme to conquer Earth. Becoming Dib's partial mate or, "boyfriend" as he put it, did not change the fact that Zim would destroy the humans. Not by a long shot.

So of course Dib's slight change in attitude was far less important than the troubles of Ziiim!

* * *

><p>On the way home from school, Dib ignored Zim's weak attempt at apologizing for not paying attention to him, giving Dib the same, "Zim has much to do!" speech. As long as Zim's head was filled with himself, Dib saw no reason to talk to him. He would have to deal with it himself.<p>

Dib slammed the door on his way in. Gaz was already on the couch, her homework somehow done. How slow had Dib been walking?

"Not off with your boyfriend today Dib? What's wrong, did you guys have a little fight?" she glowered, the light from her game lighting up her face.

Dib sneered at her and went up to his room. He slammed the door and sat at his computer staring blankly at it.

The report. He should start the report. But he didn't move his hands.

What was wrong with him? He...he lifted a hand...put it on the mouse...and opened his old spy cam inside Zim's house. He had put it there a while ago, but never got around to removing it. Now he focused it in Zim's living room, turned up the sound, and waited.

At first no one was there. Then he saw Gir tumble in wearing his dog costume, something covering his face. There was a shout somewhere off camera and Dib strained to hear it. Gir sat up and turned to face the kitchen.

"Aww, but master, it so gooood!" Gir whined and ran off. Dib continued to stare at the screen, unmoving. Then, he heard a voice.

"Damn hyuman clothing materials...can't fit...on...stupid..."

Zim.

Zim struggled to shove a tiny trench coat onto puppet Dib, the tiny arm holes infuriating him. Zim rarely used human swear words but now they felt delicious. "Fucking crappy coat won't fit! Fine! Be gone with YOU! COMPUTER!" he yelled, "TAKE THIS, shit-filled trench coat AND THROW IT OUT INTO SPACE!"

"Yes Zim." it said and dragged it away with a robot arm.

Zim slammed his fists onto the counter. He was just so ANGRY. He hadn't felt like this in a while. Not only did Zim have to convince the tallest that Dib was not a threat to the Irken race if let anywhere near valuable Irken technology (which Zim knew he WAS) but Dib might also be used temporarily for slave work if a certain number of them dropped for any reason, and Zim doubted the Dib would agree to that. There was also complications with letting him on certain planets whom might not want a smelly human coming through, even if it was necessary to return to Irk.

Zim's head hurt. And the puppets. Irk save him if he screwed up the puppets. Zim groaned and set to work starting on a new trench coat for puppet Dib.


End file.
